Sudarshan Kriya is a powerful breathing technique that helps the meditators relax their body and mind by eliminating depression, frustration, anger, fatigue, and stress(1).
Love is not an emotion. It is your very existence.
-Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Sudarshan Kriya is a simple breathing practice that offers great benefits(1). The technique involves rhythmic breathing which leads to a calm mind and a relaxed body. However, Sudarshan Kriya’s effects are not limited to physical benefits. The continuous practice of the technique can lead to spiritual insights in life and help one attain the experience of the infinite(1). But it can take anywhere from days to an entire lifetime or beyond to attain the result. It depends on the spiritual evolution of the practitioner’s soul.
History/Origins
This technique is taught by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, which he began to do almost four decades ago through his Art of Living Foundation(10). By his own account, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had stumbled upon Sudarshan Kriya on the banks of the Bhadra river. It had come to him like an inspiration during a ten-day long silence and fasting session(2).
If something can bring you great pleasure, it can also bring you pain.
-Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Benefits of Sudarshan Kriya
According to a research paper by Richard P. Brown and Patricia L. Gerbarg(3), Sudarshan Kriya offers a variety of health benefits. According to their study, the technique can effectively reduce stress-related medical illnesses, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, everyday stress and depression.
References
- artofliving.org | What is Sudarshan Kriya?
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com | 30 Years of Sudarshan Kriya
- The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine | Volume 11, No. 1 | 2005 | Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part I—Neurophysiologic Model by Richard P. Brown and Patricia L. Gerbarg
